


Even arrogant assholes have feelings

by laheysmythes



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Denial of Feelings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 11:12:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12530016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laheysmythes/pseuds/laheysmythes
Summary: "He's so... frustrating, I never know what he's planning or thinking and it makes me want to punch him in the face. On a bad day I do end up punching him in the face, but he does it back."In which Liam is confused (sort of in denial of his feelings) when it comes to Theo and he seeks advice from none other than Jackson.





	Even arrogant assholes have feelings

**Author's Note:**

> For a tumblr prompt: "Liam being confused and in denial about his not-really-a-boyfriend-relationship with Theo and Jackson being the one to help him admit it because he just wants to spread the gay--I mean happiness."

If there was one thing more frustrating for Liam than Theo, it was not knowing where he stood with him. 

They had such a weird relationship. Sometimes they were at each other's throats, sometimes they got along really well, but then other days the tension was too much it felt hard to even breathe. Even after an argument, Theo would do that thing where he ended up staring down at Liam's lips and it drove Liam crazy since he started to notice it. It made him want to push Theo against a wall and  _ do something _ to get rid of the tension. 

But of course people can't have nice things, so Liam was currently in his room trying to calm himself down because something exactly like that had just happened. They had been arguing about checking some lead related to Monroe's ‘army’, and Liam wanted to act on it now but Theo was busy with work and couldn't go with him. 

They were fighting about how Liam could take care of himself on his own  _ thank you very much _ , but Theo... fuck, Theo almost slipped and said that he  _ knew _ that Liam could, and he seemed like he was about to say - to  _ finally _ admit - that he cared about the werewolf but instead he just bit his lip before any words could come out and the tension was back again. 

Silence engulfing the room, Liam's breathing was getting erratic within the second because the frustration was becoming too much, Theo not saying anything, heartbeat relatively calm and his gaze locked up in Liam's lips. 

Liam wanted to scream in frustration. He needed help. 

He needed advice on how to deal with this, on how to approach the situation because he knew it was never going to be easy to talk to Theo about what the hell they were and what was going on between them.

He felt he couldn't talk to Mason about it because the human was still suspicious of Theo. And Liam felt that if he said anything remotely close to  _ "hey Mason I might be having some weird feelings towards Theo but it’s no big deal" _ it would surely give him a heart attack, and  _ no. _

Same went for the rest of the pack. They hated Theo a bit too much to be of any help. Liam would probably get banned from the pack for a while until he came back to his senses, and again he can't have that. 

He needed an outside person, someone that could help him understand how to deal with this. 

An idea popped up into his mind. Who better to help with this than Jackson. He was an outside source, he was sure he wouldn't tell the pack because he disliked Stiles and Scott (and vice versa), he didn't get involved, and he was going back to London in a few weeks. He was also sort of a jackass, so who better to help him deal with yet another jackass than an expert at it. 

 

\---

It took him a while to track down Jackson because he was doing it without any help whatsoever. When he did he almost got the door slammed closed on his face, but Liam was stubborn. He put a hand to stop the door from being closed. 

"Can I help you?" Jackson said a little bit annoyed. 

"I'm not here on any pack business, I'm here for advice," Liam started because he felt that it would help his case if Jackson knew it didn't have anything to do with Scott or Stiles. 

Jackson was about to say that he wasn't a counselor but was stopped by Ethan before he even opened his mouth, giving his boyfriend a soft peck on the lips that made Jackson relax a bit. 

"Don't be like that Jackson, hear the kid out," Ethan encouraged and Liam was thankful for the werewolf, he was such a calming presence that it seemed like it helped balance out Jackson's arrogance. 

"Fine, you can come in," Jackson opened the door wider this time and Liam let himself in, going immediately to sit on the couch. 

Ethan was going to leave for a while because he had some stuff to do apparently, and Liam panicked a little bit on the inside because he felt like Jackson was going to be of no help once the werewolf was gone. Maybe he should've asked Ethan for help since the beginning. He hadn't think it through that well. 

Jackson sat on the opposite couch and didn't say anything, he was waiting for Liam to begin speaking.

Liam seemed like he couldn't find the words to explain his situation and he was kind of regretting even coming here to ask. 

"Are you okay? You reek of frustration," Jackson said nonchalantly after a while because he saw that Liam wasn't going to say anything. "Your  _ boyfriend _ giving you troubles?"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Liam seemed to have been set off by that, his voice getting a bit defensive. 

"Really? I could've sworn there was something going on between you two," Jackson crossed his arms and he had a face like he knew everything. "With you two being attached to the hip and whatnot."

"That's the thing, we're not anything, I'm not even sure if we're friends?" Liam started explaining. "He's so... frustrating, I never know what he's planning or thinking and it makes me want to punch him in the face. On a bad day I do end up punching him in the face, but he does it back."

Jackson snorted from his place in the couch and Liam turned to glare at him, feeling like he was getting mocked. 

"What?" Liam snapped.

"Maybe he frustrates you because you  _ like _ him," Jackson simply said, a knowing smirk on his lips. 

"Me liking Theo? What's there to like?" Liam scoffed, but his tone seemed nervous like he had been caught in a lie. 

"I don't know, you tell me," Jackson replied unhelpfully. 

"I don't  _ like _ Theo... I mean I don't hate him like I used to, moving past all that betraying shit and all, but he's just a pain in the ass sometimes. He always teases me for most stuff and he isn't afraid if I get angry unlike everyone else."

"Hold up a second, betraying?" Jackson looked confused for a moment. 

"Oh yes, he tried to infiltrate the pack and kill Scott and then we sent him to hell," Liam said with a frown, telling the story like it had been years ago. 

"And how did he get back?" Jackson was still trying to make sense of it. 

"I was the one who brought him back, against everyone's wishes but," Liam looked down at his hands. "Then I destroyed the sword that could send him back so he's stuck here."

"So he can't leave Beacon Hills?" Jackson asked. 

"Oh yes he can, I don't know why he hasn't left though. For several months I thought he had, but ever since the war ended he stayed here, even if Scott said he wouldn't take him as pack ever again."

"Remind me, where is he staying?" Jackson had a thoughtful expression like he already knew the answer. 

"He's been staying at my house since he didn't have anywhere else to stay. I mean, his truck?  _ In this city? _   Anyone could get to him," Liam sounded alarmed at the thought of Theo getting captured by the hunters yet again just because he didn’t have a place to crash. 

"If you said you didn't like him then why do you care if he gets captured or not?" Jackson's tone sounded like he was telling Liam he was stupid and the beta didn't like it. 

"Because-" Liam started but then he noticed he didn't have an answer to that. He remained silent trying to think of a reason why he would care if Theo was in danger or not.

"Right," Jackson continued moving on to another topic. "Turns out you're both more stupid than I originally thought."

"Hey! I'm not stupid," Liam was offended because yes, he might have trouble figuring out this entire situation but that didn't make him stupid. And he hadn't come here to be insulted either. 

"Have you two fools realized that you care for each other?" Jackson stated but rolled his eyes when he saw Liam's  _ 'I have no fucking idea what you're talking about' _ face. 

"He doesn't ca-" Liam started but was shushed by Jackson.

"Think about it. He got a second chance at life, and instead of running halfway across the country for a fresh start, he stayed here even though he has nothing."

"So what?" Liam still didn't get.

"That any normal person in his shoes would've run already, but he hasn't because he clearly cares a lot for someone here. I don't know if McCall told you about me?"

"No, he didn't say anything," Liam shook his head. 

"I was a kanima, and briefly an enemy of McCall's pack. I wanted power to be a werewolf, but the bite turned me into a kanima, some bullshit about emotional unresolved issues or whatever. I ended up killing people," he flashed his bright blue werewolf eyes briefly for Liam to see. 

"I was controlled, and I died twice. First one Gerard made me kill myself in the lacrosse field, and the second one both Derek and Peter killed me to stop me. I came back to life by some miracle and ended up turning part werewolf and part kanima after that."

"Wow, that sounds awful," Liam scrunched up his nose because dying twice and being controlled didn't sound so nice. 

"Point is, my personality didn't exactly made me friends with McCall and his pack, and even though I cared about Lydia I had to leave. Too many traumatic experiences, I needed a fresh start," despite relating all his awful past, Jackson seemed calm like he had been able to move past it, everything healing already.

"So you moved to Europe," Liam nodded as if understanding why Jackson had taken that decision.

"Yes. And evil or not, it seems your  _ friend _ Theo has gone through enough traumatic experiences to last a lifetime, so there is a reason he's staying here and it's because he cares about you," Jackson explained. This was the first time Liam hadn't corrected someone when they referred to Theo as his friend. 

"But he isn't like that," Liam couldn't make sense of Theo caring about him. 

"Everyone is capable of caring, Liam. Even if they seem like they don't show it or are arrogant assholes about it, they are capable of caring," Jackson said. 

"Even arrogant assholes like you?" Liam said and Jackson narrowed his eyes at him. 

"Funny. But yes, even assholes like me are capable of caring," Jackson conceded with Liam. "And you clearly care about him too otherwise you would've kicked him out already."

"Maybe I do.  _ Shit, _ " Liam felt like a thousand bricks have fallen on top of him. The realization hit him too hard and made him scared a bit. 

"And that frustration you're feeling and how you want to punch him every time is called unresolved sexual tension, look it up if you want to," at this Liam glared at Jackson, who was smirking. 

"I  _ might _ have tension with Theo but it is  _ not _ sexual," Liam made sure to clarify, glaring all the way through the sentence. 

"Certainly, unresolved it is. And if it wasn't sexual then why does he keep looking at you like he wants to kiss you?" Jackson replied. 

"People who are attracted to each other don't want to punch one another all the time," Liam said like it was a fact. 

"Yes they can, they just need to move past it and do less punching and more kissing... or fucking, whichever you prefer."

Liam looked like he was about to object to that so loudly but then he remembered how he had started with Hayden and found out Jackson was right. He had punched Hayden in the face and they had mutually hated each other with a passion, then Liam fell for her. 

_ Shit maybe I do have a type, _ Liam thought. 

"See? I was right, as always," Jackson said because apparently Liam had said his thoughts out loud and he had to endure Jackson's winning smirk. He had to give it to him, the guy might be a dick but he was smart. 

So Liam cared about Theo  _ and _ on top of that his frustration was because he might like  _ like _ the chimera. 

Liam felt like he wanted to run across the country to avoid dealing with his now evident feelings.

"Can I move with you to Europe? I'll clean, I'll do whatever, I am good in a fight-" Liam started on a panicked ramble but was shushed yet again by the older werewolf. 

"No. Now you go back to your house and you deal with your tension problem. And you better hurry because Ethan is coming back soon and we already have plans," Jackson said. 

 

Liam took a long time to walk back home, dreading confronting whatever feelings he realized he had. He was probably going to shove them down and never discuss them again. Yup, sounded like a good plan. He was going to take a nap and that way he wouldn't have to deal with Theo when he came back from work, and it would be  _ all fine. _

His plans were thrown out the window as soon as he got home because Theo was lying on the couch and reading a book, apparently he had finished with work sooner than he usually did. 

Liam tried to walk upstairs unnoticed but one of the wooden tiles made a creaking noise and he knew he was busted. 

"What? You had fun chasing the hunters on your own and they kicked your ass?" Theo asked, not bothering to look in Liam's direction. 

Liam stomped all the way to the couch to stand in front of it and Theo finally looked up from his book. "Not that I care if you did-"

"Bullshit Theo, _ you do care _ ," Liam's frustration bubbled up again and it seemed like he was going to have that talk after all today. He snatched Theo's book from his hands and closed it, dropping it on the coffee table. 

"I don't know what you're on right now but I'd like my book back," Theo started to get up the couch to reach for the book but Liam stopped him. 

"You do care whether I live or die or if something happens to me. Otherwise why did you stay here in Beacon Hills?" Liam challenged, but Theo remained quiet. He was called out.

"Liam-" Theo began, standing up to be face to face with the short-tempered werewolf. 

"Don't  _ ‘Liam’ _ me, just for once in your life admit something. Even arrogant assholes like you have feelings, so can you just-" Liam was about to slam his hands in Theo's chest in frustration but the chimera was quicker and caught them just in time. 

"Why do you care whether I care or not?" Theo seemed confused. He mirrored Liam's confused face when he was talking to Jackson hours ago. 

"Because I care about you!" Liam raised his voice and managed to get free from Theo's grip on his hands because the chimera froze in his place, a bit too shocked at the meaning of the words. 

"You're shocked? That makes two of us, just realized it today, welcome to the club," Liam huffed after he saw that Theo wasn’t gonna say anything, finally calming down a bit because it felt liberating to say how he really felt. 

Theo seemed like for once he was at a loss of words, he just kept staring and staring... and then his eyes moved down to look at Liam's lips. 

"If you don't wanna say anything  _ fine, _ don't say it. But stop looking at me like that," Liam snapped and it made Theo look up. 

"Like what?" Theo said in a low, raspy tone, like he hadn't talked in days.

"Like you want to kiss me. You either do it or not," Liam admitted, letting out a deep sigh. He would be lying if he said he didn't want Theo to do it though. Damn, Jackson was right. 

"And what if I did?" Theo replied in the same low tone, and Liam barely had time to process what he said when Theo moved forward and  _ finally _ did something productive other than staring at Liam's lips: he kissed him. 

Next time Jackson saw the two of them, he smirked smugly, because unlike the rest of the pack he knew what was going on between the two of them. When Liam accidentally made eye contact with him, Jackson gave him a thumbs up followed by a wink, because clearly the chemosignals told him that the tension had been relieved. Liam cursed silently because  _ damn arrogant know-it-all werewolves. _

**Author's Note:**

> This turned longer than what I expected! Writing this gave me a lot of feels because Jackson is my favorite character and then I realized how there are some similarities between him and Theo and wow, I'm gonna cry brb.
> 
> Anyways hope you liked it, I'm still taking prompts, hit me up @ laheyjackson on tumblr if you have any requests.  
> -Alejandra


End file.
